h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There was an Oliver's Battery near Basingstoke - now under a housing estate - which was used during the very bloody siege of Basing House. The guns from the battery probably knocked the hole in the "Bloody Barn" that a unit of parlimenatary troops cut off from their main force stormed through surprizing and slaughtering royalist troopers who believing they were safe were playing cards - the hand that was being dealt is still called "taking Basing" and is regarded to be an ill omen.

When the Bettery was excavated the skeltons of two parlimentary soldiers were found, one still wearing his "start up" hob nailed boots and one with a musket ball lodged in the ribs. Interestingly the battery had been placed on top of the mound left by a medieval farmstead which in turn was on top of a Saxon farm, a Roman farm - with some rather fine pottery, Iron Age remains and a Bronze Age ring barrow.